Protective cover for a wireless device

ABSTRACT

In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a protective cover configured to attach to a wireless device having a surface including a first portion and a second portion mutually exclusive from the first portion. The second portion of the surface is associated with a proximity sensor of the wireless device. The protective cover is configured to cover the first portion of the surface when the protective cover is attached to the wireless device. The protective cover is configured to not cover the second portion of the surface when the protective cover is attached to the wireless device such that the proximity sensor is not triggered by the protective cover when the protective cover is attached to the wireless device and when the wireless device is operational.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND CLAIM FOR PRIORITY

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/287,680, entitled “EXTERNAL CASE FOR REDISTRIBUTION OF RFRADIATION AWAY FROM WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE USER AND WIRELESSCOMMUNICATION DEVICE INCORPORATING RF RADIATION REDISTRIBUTIONELEMENTS,” filed on Nov. 2, 2011, (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,957,813).

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/724,290 filed Mar. 15, 2010 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,214,003), whichclaims priority to and the benefit of Provisional Application No.61/160,282, filed Mar. 13, 2009, and is also a continuation-in-part ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/614,132, filed Nov. 6, 2009 (nowU.S. Pat. No. 8,208,980), which claims priority to and the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Application No. 61/112,141, filed Nov. 6, 2008 and U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/158,551, filed Mar. 9, 2009; all of whichare incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Some embodiments discussed herein relate generally to wireless devicessuch as cell phones, smart phones, and similar handheld devices such astablet computer or tablets. Such embodiments include a protective coverthat can be attached to, and protect, a surface of such a wirelessdevice without negatively impacting the performance of the wirelessdevice or affecting other functions of the wireless device.

Some known protective covers can be applied on the wireless devices tocover and protect a screen and/or other portions of a surface of thewireless devices. Such known protective covers, however, typicallyaffect RF (radio frequency) transmission or some other functions of thewireless devices. For example, some of the known protective covers cantrigger an embedded proximity sensor, thus limiting RF transmission fromthe wireless devices. For another example, some of the known protectivecover can block a camera embedded in the wireless devices.

Accordingly, a need exists for an apparatus that can provide protectionto a screen or surface of a wireless device without triggering aproximity sensor or blocking a camera of that wireless device.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a protective cover configuredto attach to a wireless device having a surface including a firstportion and a second portion mutually exclusive from the first portion.The second portion of the surface is associated with a proximity sensorof the wireless device. The protective cover is configured to cover thefirst portion of the surface when the protective cover is attached tothe wireless device. The protective cover is configured to not cover thesecond portion of the surface when the protective cover is attached tothe wireless device such that the proximity sensor is not triggered bythe protective cover when the protective cover is attached to thewireless device and when the wireless device is operational.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows RF coupling elements mounted on the back of a mobiletelephone.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a mobile telephone with placement ofsmall and large antennas.

FIG. 3 shows an RF loop over an internal antenna of a mobile telephone.

FIG. 4 shows an RF coupling parasitic device mounted on the back of amobile telephone.

FIG. 5 shows a front and side view of a “ladder and plate” RF couplingdesign for a mobile telephone.

FIG. 6 shows an alternate embodiment of an RC coupling parasitic devicemounted on the back of a mobile telephone.

FIG. 7 shows a pair of RF coupling devices in the form of first andsecond loops mounted on the back of a mobile telephone.

FIG. 8 shows a partial phantom view of an RF coupling loop design wherethe loop is mounted above the internal antenna of a mobile telephone.

FIG. 9 shows a mobile telephone external case design including areflective shield at the front side of the device and a radiationcoupling device at the rear side of the device.

FIG. 10 shows an alternate embodiment of FIG. 9 wherein an RFredirection system is integrated into the internal design of a wirelessdevice.

FIG. 11 shows an alternate embodiment of an RF loop design mounted onthe back of a mobile telephone device.

FIG. 12 shows a tablet computer external case design according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 13 shows details of RF radiation redistribution elements embeddedin the external case of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of various component parts of an externalcase for a tablet computer in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of a protective cover for a wirelessdevice, according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In some embodiments, external coupling antennas are provided to coupleradiation from the internal antenna of a wireless device and to redirectthe radiation such that a reduced or minimum amount of radiation isdirected towards the user and an increased or maximum amount ofradiation is directed away from the user. Note that this coupling methoddoes not require an actual physical connection between the externalcoupling antennas and the antenna internal to the phone. The position ofthe coupling antenna with respect to the internal antenna, however, canbe important. Through a series of coupling loops, directing elements orpatch antennas located on a cover or case, a “clip” structure, ordirectly on an external surface of the mobile device, the radiation isfurther directed away from the user's head (which is absorptive) to theenvironment for communication to cell towers.

The materials used for coupling and re-directional elements aregenerally made out of materials of high electrical conductivity.Dielectric materials, however, can also be used to achieve optimalphysical sizes and spacing of various elements.

In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a protective cover configuredto attach to a wireless device having a surface including a firstportion and a second portion mutually exclusive from the first portion.The protective cover can be removably attached to the wireless device.In some embodiments, the protective cover is disposed between thesurface of the wireless device and a user of the wireless device whenthe protective cover is attached to the wireless device and when thewireless device is used by the user. In some embodiments, the protectivecover is substantially planar, and the wireless device can be a tabletcomputer device.

The protective cover is configured to cover the first portion of thesurface when the protective cover is attached to the wireless device. Insome embodiments, the protective cover is transparent such that thefirst portion of the surface is visible to a user of the wireless devicewhen the protective cover is attached to the wireless device. In someembodiments, the first portion of the surface includes at least one of ascreen of the wireless device or a touchscreen of the wireless device.

The second portion of the surface is associated with a proximity sensorof the wireless device. The protective cover is configured to not coverthe second portion of the surface when the protective cover is attachedto the wireless device such that the proximity sensor is not triggeredby the protective cover when the protective cover is attached to thewireless device and when the wireless device is operational. As aresult, a total radiated power (TRP) of the wireless device is notreduced when the protective cover is attached to the wireless device andwhen the wireless device is operational.

In some embodiments, the second portion of the surface is associatedwith a camera of the wireless device. The protective cover is configuredto not cover the second portion of the surface when the protective coveris attached to the wireless device such that a direct access to thecamera is not blocked by the protective cover when the protective coveris attached to the wireless device.

The above procedures and apparatus are illustrated by the treatment ofthree exemplary wireless devices—the Apple 3G iPhone®, the RIMBlackberry® Curve 8300, and/or the Apple iPad®. The procedures andapparatus, however, are perfectly general and can be applied to anywireless device using different combinations of the elements described.

FIG. 1 shows RF coupling elements mounted on the back of a wirelessdevice such as a mobile telephone. The radiation from an internalantenna (not shown in FIG. 1) of the wireless device is directed awayfrom the user and outward at the back of the wireless device through acoupling loop 1 mounted on the back of the wireless device. The couplingcan be achieved through, for example, electromagnetic (EM) induction asrevealed by laboratory experiments and computer modeling of variousphysical quantities (e.g., antennas, connectors, circuit elements,ground planes, etc.) inside the wireless device such as an AppleiPhone®, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The EM fields are then successivelycoupled up a “ladder” of metallic strips 2 up the backside of theiPhone® enclosed inside the case. The placement of the coupling loop 1with respect to the antenna inside the wireless device can be specificto that wireless device. As shown in FIG. 1, the horizontal metallicstrips may be straight, or may have regular or irregular shapes such as“U” shaped metallic element 3, whose dimensions are adjusted to fit theavailable space on the back of the wireless device, while achievingoptimal coupling from the loop 1.

One variation of the above design is in the replacement of an uppermostradiation re-director by a single plate 3 as illustrated in FIG. 3. Theuse of a plate resembles a patch antenna whose radiation pattern favorsthe outward direction away from the user. The loop 1 can couple powerout from the internal antenna, then the directors 2 can couple the powerup to the plate 3, from which the radiation can be directed outward fromthe wireless device in the direction opposite to the user's body (e.g.,head).

Another variation, illustrated in FIG. 4, as well as in FIG. 5, whichdepicts an application of this design to the Apple iPhone® 3G, is thereplacement of the coupling loop by an RF coupling parasitic redirectorcomposed of horizontal strips 1 that form a ladder-like array leading toa rectangular plate 2 above the ladder. In some embodiments, suchconfigurations can significantly reduce the amount of radiation directedtowards a user while maintaining or even enhancing the total radiationpower of the wireless device.

A further embodiment is the use of vertical strips 2 that are orthogonalto the horizontal strips 1, as shown in FIG. 6. These vertical stripscan be coupled to a vertical polarization of the radiation from theinternal cell phone antenna. Thus, both the vertical polarization andthe horizontal polarization can be coupled to fully (or substantiallyfully) redirect the maximum amount of RF radiation from the internalantenna of the wireless device away from the direction of the user. Thevertical strips 2 are placed in a layer above the horizontal strips 1such that the vertical strips provide additional coupling with anycorresponding vertical elements of the internal antenna.

In some embodiments, a simpler approach as illustrated in FIG. 7 can beapplied to the internal components of some wireless devices such as theBlackberry® 8300 shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 7, a single loop 1 isplaced over the location of the internal antenna, and may be augmentedby a second loop 2 above the first loop 1. The first loop 1 couples theRF field from the internal antenna, and the second loop 2 providesadditional redirected radiation away from the user. Size and spacing canbe tuned to the particular wireless device. For the Blackberry® 8300,for example, a loop of 24 mm×16 mm×2 mm can be placed such that it wrapsunder the bottom of the phone by 2 mm as shown in FIG. 8. In someembodiments, such a configuration can produce ideal results in terms ofredirecting radiation away from a user as verified by independentlaboratory testing by Cetecom in Milpitas, Calif.

In another embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a shield comprising acorrugated metallic surface is provided, either incorporated into aprotective case (FIG. 9), or integrated directly into the body of thewireless device itself (FIG. 10). The metallic shield can be located onthe user side of the wireless device directly in front of the internalantenna. Such a shield can also be installed inside the wireless device.Such a corrugated surface can give rise to many image dipoles, therebyproviding a wide pattern of scattered radiation. The particular shapeand size of corrugations can be designed to scatter radiation, whichnormally would be incident upon the user, in directions away from theuser as widely as possible. In some embodiments, the scattering anglesfrom the incident wave vector can range from +/−40 to +/−180 degrees.

In some embodiments, sizes of the corrugations are smaller thanwavelengths of microwave frequencies transmitted from the wirelessdevice. As a result, such corrugations can introduce scattering wavevectors that are greater than the incident wave vector in directionsperpendicular to the incident wave vector. Thus, such corrugations candeflect the radiation away from the user and at the same time avoidcreating reflections back on the internal radiating antenna. As aresult, the impedance seen by the output amplifier of the wirelessdevice (e.g., a cell phone) is not affected and the total radiated powerof the wireless device is not reduced, while the specific absorptionrate (SAR) is significantly reduced. In such embodiments, the loop 4 andthe directors 6 are positioned relative to the internal antenna 5 suchthat the loop 4 is close to the antenna and couples the RF power outfrom the back of the wireless device and up to the directors 6.

As shown in FIG. 9, in a case 7, a layer of highly conductive corrugatedmetal shield material 1 is, optionally, combined with a layer ofabsorptive material 3 of a specific frequency range, placed on the sideof the metallic shield opposite to the internal antenna, such that withthe wireless device inserted into the external case the shield ispositioned between the user's head and the internal antenna. Theabsorber 3 can substantially prevent the radiation that passes throughthe shield from reaching the user. Also, a layer of dielectric material2 may be added between the internal antenna and the shield to reduce thespacing used to achieve an effective distance between the antenna andthe shield. Such an effective distance can be, for example, ¼ wavelengthof the RF radiation.

The redirection of RF radiation away from the user's head can also beachieved by the use of a properly located passive RF coupling redirectorincluding the elements 4-6 as shown in FIG. 9, in combination with thecorrugated shield of highly conductive metallic material 1. An alternateembodiment as shown in FIG. 10 may have the RF redirector including theelements 4-6 and the metallic shield 1 integrated within the wirelesscommunication device itself.

A feature of various embodiments, both as a passive directional beamantenna alone, or in combination with a passive re-directional shield,incorporated in an external case for a wireless device, or suchcombination incorporated internally in a wireless device, is that suchembodiments direct/redirect radiation away from the user, out of thewireless device, reducing SAR, without adversely affecting TRP. This isdone with a directional antenna, or a combination of a directionalantenna and re-directive shield, or with a re-directive shield only,integrated within a case of non-conducting or low-conductive materials(e.g., variously of silicone, plastic, cloth, etc.) that allow EM wavesto propagate outward toward, for example, the cell phone tower withoutsuffering any attenuation.

A further alternate embodiment of the RF coupling radiation redirectoris shown in FIG. 11. Here, a loop 1 consists of a metallic sheet with anarrow slot having a length and width tuned to, for example, ¼ of thewavelength of the transmitting RF radiation. For example, a 1900 MHztransmission would correspond to a 40 mm slot length.

FIG. 12 shows one embodiment of an external case 1201 for a wirelessdevice such as a tablet computer (e.g., an Apple iPad®). The case 1201can be made of a sturdy material such as polycarbonate. The case 1201contains a number of cut-out sections 1202, 1203 and 1204, to allowaccess to a video camera 1206, various switches 1207, headphone jack1208, and input/power interface 1209. Moreover, the cut-out section 1202leaves plastic strip 1205 exposed. The plastic strip 1205 is provided ontablet computers having 3G or other mobile telephony capability. Thisplastic strip 1205 is located over an internal 3G or other mobiletelephony antenna, and is provided to enable mobile telephony signals toreach the internal mobile telephony antenna and to enable transmissionsignals to leave the wireless device.

In conjunction with the plastic strip 1205 being located over aninternal mobile telephony antenna, a capacitive proximity sensor (notshown in FIG. 12) may be attached to or disposed proximate to theplastic strip 1205. When a user's body part such as a hand or a lapcontacts the strip 1205, the proximity sensor is activated, causing theTRP of the wireless device to be reduced. The purpose of the reductionin TRP is to lower the SAR experienced by the user when using thewireless device in mobile telephony applications. As explained above,however, the reduced TRP reduces the RF signal transmission power, andconsequently degrades communication quality. As shown in FIG. 12, theexternal case 1201 does not cover the mobile antenna strip 1205, thusnot causing any constant reduction in transmission signal qualitywhenever the external case 1201 is used with the device.

Accordingly, the case 1201 defines a cut-out section 1202 in thelocation of the strip 1205, which covers the internal mobile telephonyantenna. In this way, use of the external case 1201 does not affect theTRP produced by the tablet during mobile telephony applications (such astelephone calls, Internet applications, video conferencing, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 13, a number of RF radiation redistribution componentsare embedded in the external case 1201. The radiation redistributioncomponents may be in the form of resonant loops 1301 and radiationdirectors 1302. A Flexible Printed Circuit Board (FPCB) 1303 as shown inFIGS. 13 and 14 is embedded in a polycarbonate shell 1401 (FIG. 14),which holds the FPCB 1303 on the back of the tablet. Note that theresonant loops 1301, the radiation directors 1302 and the FPCB 1303 areshown in FIG. 13 for illustrative purpose, but would not normally beseen from the external case 1201.

The resonant loops 1301 can be made of 1 oz of copper elements upon a 2mil thick polyimide substrate (the resonant loops are typicallyrectangular or square in shape, but may be formed in any desired shape).The loops 1301 have perimeters that substantially equal, for example,approximately 1 wavelength of the emitted RF transmission wave as ittravels through the polycarbonate material, i.e., the loops 1301 areresonant with the RF transmission. Loop size is dependent on thefrequency of the mobile or cellular telephony transmission and thedielectric constant of the material in which the FPCB is embedded. Oftenmultiple loops of varying sizes exist to resonate with the differentbandwidths and frequencies of cellular telephony transmission. Theseloops couple inductively (i.e., passively) with the internal mobiletelephony antenna.

Typically, the FPCB 1301 is located approximately 1 mm from the backsurface of the tablet. This defines an antenna structure that is acombination of the internal mobile telephony antenna and the FPCBcase-embedded antenna formed by the resonant loops and directors. Thisantenna structure has a much more directional radiation pattern than theinternal mobile telephony antenna by itself (which has a substantially360° radiation pattern). Because the antenna structure formed by thecombination of the internal antenna and the case-embedded components hasmore radiative components located at the back of the device, the amountof radiation that was previously directed towards the user from thefront of the device is substantially reduced.

Because only the shape of the radiation pattern (and not its overallpower) has changed, however, the device still emits substantially thesame TRP (e.g., within a tolerance of +/−2.5 dB) so that no loss incommunication ability or quality occurs.

The FPCB may also contain directors 1302—copper strips that have lengthssubstantially equal to, for example, approximately ½ wavelength (ormultiples thereof) of the RF waves emitted from the internal mobiletelephony antenna. These directors 1302 provide a structure that spreadsthe coupled RF radiation from the internal mobile telephony antenna overa larger area or volume. The combination of resonant loops 1301 anddirectors 1302 provide a larger surface area or volume for cellulartelephony emission, thereby reducing local intensity, while stillsubstantially maintaining the TRP.

Note that the tablet external case is not intended to merely change thedirectionality of the antenna emissions, but to redistribute or spreadthe RF radiation over a larger area or volume through a combination ofresonant conductive loops and director elements inductively coupled tothe internal mobile telephony antenna of the tablet device. The effectof such radiation redistribution is that local radiation intensity issignificantly reduced while still substantially maintaining the TRP.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exploded view of the external case components.The case 1201 is formed of an external shell 1401, a cover 1402 and aninside lining 1403. A FPCB 1303 fits into the shell 1401 and is coveredby the lining 1403.

Note also that the resonant loops 1301 and elongated directors 1302 maybe incorporated directly with the tablet device itself, eitherinternally or externally, without the use of an external case inalternative embodiments.

FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of a protective cover 152 for awireless device, according to an embodiment. As described herein, such awireless device can be a mobile communication device (e.g., a smartphone), a tablet computer device (e.g., an Apple iPad®), or any othertype of portable device. Typically, the protective cover 152 issubstantially planar. In other embodiments, the protective cover 152 canbe in any non-planar form that is specifically adaptive to a surface(e.g., a non-planar surface) of the wireless device.

As shown in FIG. 15, the protective cover 152 can be attached to asurface 150 of the wireless device. The surface 150 can be an outersurface (e.g., a front surface) of the wireless device. In someembodiments, the protective cover 152 can be a planar sheet of materialhaving a first surface (e.g., an outer surface) and a second surface(e.g., an inner surface). When the protective cover 152 is attached tothe surface 150, the second surface of the planar sheet is disposedbetween the first surface of the planar sheet and the surface 150. Thatis, the second surface of the planar sheet is attached to the surface150. Additionally, in some embodiments, the protective cover 152 isremovably attached to the wireless device 150. That is, after beingattached to the wireless device 150, the protective cover 152 can bedetached from the wireless device 150.

The surface 150 includes a first portion that is covered by theprotective cover 152 when the protective cover 152 is attached to thesurface 150. Similarly stated, the protective cover 152 has a size and ashape that substantially correspond to a size and a shape of the firstportion of the surface 150. In FIG. 15, that first portion is defined bythe boundary 159. That is, the first portion includes the area insidethe boundary 159, excluding the portion 156 and including the portion154. When attached to the surface 150, the protective cover 152 isdefined by a boundary that substantially corresponds to the boundary159.

In some embodiments, the protective cover 152 is disposed between thefirst portion of the surface 150 and a user of the wireless device whenthe protective cover 152 is attached to the wireless device and when thewireless device is used by the user. For example, the surface 150 can bea front surface of a mobile telephone including an aperture associatedwith a speaker embedded within the wireless device, from which acousticsignals (e.g., voices, sounds) are sent out of the wireless device. Theprotective cover 152 is disposed between such a surface 150 and the bodyof a user (e.g., mouth, face, and ear) of the mobile telephone when theprotective cover 152 is attached to the mobile telephone and when theuser is using the mobile telephone for a phone call. For anotherexample, the surface 150 can be a front surface of a tablet (e.g.,iPad®) including a touchscreen of the tablet, through which a user ofthe tablet can view contents from the tablet and/or enter data into thetablet. The protective cover 152 is disposed between such a surface 150and the body of the user (e.g., face, eyes) when the protective cover152 is attached to the tablet and when the user is using the table(e.g., for reading an article, writing an email, etc.).

In some embodiments, the first portion of the surface 150 includes ascreen 154, on which a user of the wireless device can view visualcontents provided by the wireless device. Furthermore, in someembodiments, such a screen can be a touchscreen such that the user canenter information into the wireless device by touching the touchscreen.In both scenarios described above, the protective cover 152 istransparent such that the first portion including the screen and/ortouchscreen is visible to the user when the protective cover 152 isattached to the wireless device. Additionally, when the protective cover152 is attached to the surface 150 of the wireless device, theprotective cover 152 covers the first portion (including the screen 154)such that the first portion of the surface 150 (including the screen154) is protected by the protective cover 152 from, for example,scratching or other similar actions that can potentially damage thefirst portion of the surface 150.

The surface 150 also includes a second portion 158 that is not coveredby the protective cover 152 when the protective cover 152 is attached tothe first portion of the surface 150. The second portion 158 is mutuallyexclusive from the first portion of the surface 150. In someembodiments, the second portion 158 is associated with a proximitysensor of the wireless device. Such a proximity sensor can be any typeof sensing device configured to detect an object (e.g., a body of auser) when that object is within a certain distance to the sensingdevice. In some embodiments, the proximity sensor can be, for example, adistance sensor, a light sensor, a temperature sensor, a combination ofvarious sensors, and/or the like.

As shown in FIG. 15, the second portion 158 includes an aperture 153associated with the proximity sensor that is embedded in the wirelessdevice. Whenever an object (e.g., a hand or a body of a user) is withina certain distance (e.g., 10 mm) to the aperture 153 in a certain rangeof angles (e.g., in the direction perpendicular to the surface 150), theobject can be detected by the proximity sensor and as a result, theproximity sensor is triggered. In some embodiments, as a result of theproximity sensor being triggered, operations of the wireless device canbe affected. For example, transmission from the wireless device can berestrained such that a TRP of the wireless device is reduced. Foranother example, the wireless device can enter a sleep mode or a screenof the wireless device (e.g., the screen 154) can be dimmed.Furthermore, in some embodiments, the second portion 158 is alsoassociated with other functions and/or components of the wirelessdevice. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the second portion 158includes an aperture 151 associated with a camera that is embedded inthe wireless device.

When the protective cover 152 is attached to the surface 150 of thewireless device and when the wireless device is operational, as a resultof the protective cover 152 not covering the second portion 158, theapertures 151 and 153 are not covered by the protective cover 152. As aresult, the proximity sensor is not triggered, and a direct access tothe camera is not blocked. Thus, the camera and/or other functions andcomponents of the wireless device can operate normally without anyobstruction caused by the protective cover 152.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the surface 150 includes a thirdportion 156 that is mutually exclusive from the first portion and thesecond portion 158 of the surface 150. Such a third portion 156 caninclude element(s) of the surface 150 that is to be touched by a user ofthe wireless device when the user operates the wireless device. Theprotective cover 152 is configured not to cover the third portion 156when the protective cover 152 is attached to the wireless device, suchthat the user can operate the wireless device by touching the thirdportion 156 when the protective cover is attached to the wireless deviceand when the wireless device is operational.

For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the third portion 156 includes abutton that can be pressed to trigger an activation and/or actionassociated with the screen 154. For another example, the third portion156 can include a keypad for the wireless device including buttonscorresponding to digits 0-9, symbols “*” and “#”, etc. Although notshown in FIG. 15, in other embodiments, the third portion 156 caninclude any other elements associated with the surface 150, and be inany shape specifically adapted for those element(s).

In some alternative embodiments, a protective cover made from twodifferent materials can be configured to cover both the first portionand the second portion 158 of the surface 150 of the wireless device.When such a protective cover is attached to the surface 150, the firstportion is covered by a first material such that the screen 154 and/orother elements in the first portion are visible to a user of thewireless device. The second portion 158 is covered by a second materialdifferent from the first material, such that the proximity sensor is nottriggered and the camera can operate normally even though the apertures151 and 153 are covered by the second material. In such embodiments, thesecond material can be any material that is, for example, transparentand/or thin enough to not trigger the proximity sensor and not block anaccess to the camera when the apertures 151 and 153 are covered by thesecond material.

In some other alternative embodiments, a protective cover made from thesame material can have two or more than two portions with differentthickness. When such a protective cover is attached to the surface 150of the wireless device, the first portion of the surface 150 is coveredby a first portion of the protective cover that is relatively thick,such that the screen 154 and/or other elements in the first portion ofthe surface 150 can be protected. The second portion 158 of the surface150 is covered by a second portion of the protective cover that isrelatively thin, such that the proximity sensor is not triggered and thecamera can operate normally even though the apertures 151 and 153 arecovered by the second portion of the protective cover. For example, thefirst portion of the protective cover can be, for example, 0.55 mm inthickness and the second portion of the protective cover can be, forexample, 0.13 mm in thickness.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, notlimitation, and various changes in form and details may be made. Anyportion of the apparatus and/or methods described herein may be combinedin any combination, except mutually exclusive combinations. Theembodiments described herein can include various combinations and/orsub-combinations of the functions, components and/or features of thedifferent embodiments described.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: a protective coverconfigured to attach to a wireless device having a surface including afirst portion and a second portion mutually exclusive from the firstportion, the second portion of the surface being associated with aproximity sensor of the wireless device, the protective cover configuredto cover the first portion of the surface when the protective cover isattached to the wireless device, the protective cover configured to notcover the second portion of the surface when the protective cover isattached to the wireless device such that the proximity sensor is nottriggered by the protective cover when the protective cover is attachedto the wireless device and when the wireless device is operational. 2.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protective cover is transparentsuch that the first portion of the surface is visible to a user of thewireless device when the protective cover is attached to the wirelessdevice.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first portion of thesurface includes at least one of a screen of the wireless device or atouchscreen of the wireless device.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe protective cover is disposed between the first portion of thesurface of the wireless device and a user of the wireless device whenthe protective cover is attached to the wireless device and when thewireless device is used by the user.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the protective cover is substantially planar, the wirelessdevice is a tablet computer device.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein: the protective cover is configured to not cover a third portionof the surface when the protective cover is attached to the wirelessdevice such that a user can operate the wireless device by touching thethird portion of the surface when the protective cover is attached tothe wireless device and when the wireless device is operational, thethird portion of the surface being mutually exclusive from the firstportion and the second portion of the surface.
 7. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the protective cover is configured to be removably attachedto the wireless device.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theprotective cover is configured to attach to the wireless device suchthat a total radiated power (TRP) of the wireless device is not reducedwhen the proximity sensor is not triggered and the TRP of the wirelessdevice is reduced when the proximity sensor is triggered.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein: the second portion of the surface isassociated with a camera of the wireless device, the protective coverconfigured to not cover the second portion of the surface when theprotective cover is attached to the wireless device such that a directaccess to the camera is not blocked by the protective cover when theprotective cover is attached to the wireless device.
 10. An apparatus,comprising: a protective cover configured to be disposed with a wirelessdevice having a proximity sensor such that the protective cover isdisposed between the wireless device and a user of the wireless deviceduring use without triggering the proximity sensor or reducing a totalradiated power (TRP) of the wireless device during use, the protectivecover having a size and a shape that substantially correspond to a sizeand a shape of a portion of the wireless device that includes at least ascreen of the wireless device.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:the wireless device has an outer surface with a first portion and asecond portion mutually exclusive from the first portion, the secondportion of the outer surface of the wireless device including anaperture for the proximity sensor, the protective cover has an outerboundary that substantially corresponds to an outer boundary of thefirst portion of the outer surface of the wireless device.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein: the wireless device has an outer surfacewith a first portion and a second portion mutually exclusive from thefirst portion, the second portion of the outer surface of the wirelessdevice including an aperture for the proximity sensor, the protectivecover configured to cover the first portion of the outer surface of thewireless device when the protective cover is disposed with the wirelessdevice, the protective cover configured to not cover the second portionof the outer surface of the wireless device when the protective cover isdisposed with the wireless device.
 13. The apparatus of claim 10,wherein: the wireless device has an outer surface that is substantiallyplanar, the protective cover is substantially planar.
 14. The apparatusof claim 10, wherein: the wireless device has a camera, the protectivecover is configured to be disposed with the wireless device withoutblocking a direct access to the camera.
 15. The apparatus of claim 10,wherein the protective cover is configured to removably attach to theportion of the wireless device when the protective cover is disposedwith the wireless device.
 16. An apparatus, comprising: a planar sheetof material having a first surface and a second surface, the planarsheet configured to be disposed with a wireless device having a screenand a proximity sensor such that the second surface of the planar sheetis disposed between the first surface of the planar sheet and thewireless device, the planar sheet of material defining an outer boundarythat surrounds the screen of the wireless device and excludes theproximity sensor of the wireless device when the planar sheet isdisposed with the wireless device.
 17. The apparatus of 16, wherein thescreen of the wireless device is a touchscreen.
 18. The apparatus of 16,wherein the wireless device is a tablet computer device.
 19. Theapparatus of 16, wherein the planar sheet is configured to be disposedwith the wireless device such that the planar sheet is disposed betweenthe wireless device and a user of the wireless device during use. 20.The apparatus of 16, wherein the planar sheet is configured to bedisposed with the wireless device such that the second surface of theplanar sheet is removably attached to the screen of the wireless devicewhen the planar sheet is disposed with the wireless device.